Bomb Threat At Dortmund Ground

Police in Germany have uncovered a bomb threat to top German soccer club Borussia Dortmund after explosives were found near the club’s ground.

A 25-year-old man was taken into custody and the German league leader’s home match against third-placed Hannover 96 April 2 is expected to go ahead. The game is expected to attract a crowd of up to 80,000.

“We can confirm that investigations relating to suspect explosive devices are under way in North-Rhine Westphalia,” said a spokesman for the Federal Criminal Police Office.

“During a search around the Westfalen Stadion, three suspect explosive devices were discovered and diffused or made safe.

“Investigations into their functionality as well as the potential use of the discovered chemicals are continuing,” he said. “Preliminary indications, however, do not point towards an acute threat to the public.”

Police arrested a man from Cologne March 30, according to Deutsche Welle.

He told investigators he had planted the devices near the club’s stadium.

The man was arrested after anonymous tip-offs about a planned terror attack were e-mailed to the German embassy in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, details of which the man confirmed.

“The suspect was apparently acting on his own with a criminal motivation”, said a spokesman for Berlin’s Interior Ministry.
He also said that there was no indication of a link between the suspect and terror or Islamist organisations.

Police said that the individual who sent the e-mails was under suspicion in connection with a possible extortion attempt.

A further three explosive items were found and made safe in the man’s apartment, along with a large amount of chemicals. A laptop and documents were seized as part of the investigation.